Missing Jane Buchanan & James Brownlie both born Cambusnethan

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Oh, dear, how sad. Another lesson for me, once again my theory so wrong. Thanks for the information.

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Once upon a time Jane McCallum born 11th March 1859 in Cambusnethan, her name on Birth Cert is written as Macallian, met a chap called Andrew Buchanan. Andrew was born 22nd December 1847 in Fintry.

How they met, I have no idea, and given my various past incorrect theories I am not even going to speculate.

Jane and Andrew married 29th November 1878 in Cambusnethan, Andrew is a Farm Labourer and Jane is a servant.

After the wedding the couple went to live at South Lodge, Culcreuch, Fintry. Sounds posh but I very much doubt it was. Census records show quite a few Buchanans living on the estate, all farm workers.

I visited the estate some time ago and whilst the Big House is now a hotel no were no signs of any other dwellings. I asked in the hotel if there were any old estate records and was told there had been but they had been stolen!!


Anyway on with the story. Andrew and Jane had five children together and the information is:

1)  Andrew    born 1879
2)  John McCallum Buchanan born 13th September 1880
3)  William McCallum Buchanan born 1885
4)   George  born 1887
5)   Jane born 1889

The first four, all boys, were born in Fintry whilst their only daughter was born in Cambusnethan.

Very sadly Andrew Buchanan died 20th January 1890, home address was 11 Quarry Row, Cambusnethan and his occupation was Railway Surfaceman, so different from Farm Labourer. His death was notified by Thomas Docherty, brother in law. This name crops up again later on in the story

This left Jane, aged only 31, with five young children to raise.

These are the bare bones of Jane's story and next time I will fill in what happened to her five children as well as what Jane did next. Part two of the saga is what caused me such difficulty as well as pencils, bits of paper and patience.

[Forfarian]

See https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16&lat=56.0570&lon=-4.2241&layers=5&b=1

I would hazard a guess that the South Lodge is the one marked 'Lodge' just after the bridge across the river.

Most estates had lodges at the entrances to the grounds, occupied by gate keepers or other estate staff. A lodge was very far from being posh in those days.

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Here I go with what I discovered about the five children Andrew and Jane had together. Hopefully some snippets may be of assistance to other seekers;

1) Their oldest son, also Andrew, was born 1879 in Fintry, He married Janet McLennan in 1906 in Carluke. On 1911 census he is recorded as a Miner, living at Main Street, Bellshill with his wife and his son, another Andrew, aged 6, John aged 2, William McLennan Buchanan aged 1. A possible daughter, Jane, was born 1915. Andrew died 1947 in Bellshill.

2) John McCallum Buchanan was born 13th September 1880, Fintry. He married Annie Fleming of Parkhead Rows, Bellshill on 31st December 1907. This couple had 9 children;
Mabel Florence born 1908, died Renfrew 1987. Annie born 1908 and died the same year. Jeannie born 1910 died 1954 in Law Hospital, Carluke but she lived in Motherwell. George born 1911 and died 1934 in Motherwell. From all family accounts George was a really great guy. Lily born 1914, died 1930 Motherwell. Esther born 1915 and she died 2007. Then we have James born 1918 and who died in Canada. William was born 1921 and died the next year. Finally the baby of the family, Andrew born 1924 and who died in 2012.

Glad that lot is over, now for the next family.

3)   William McCallum Buchanan, born 1885 in Fintry. Census records show in 1911 he is a Brakesman, living with his wife Edith McNeil, married Blantyre 1906. They lived in Coatbridge. They have a daughter Isabella, aged 3, a son William aged 4 months as well as his stepson, John McNeil aged 9. In this case there are too many other possible children to follow up. William McCallum Buchanan died in 1973 so cannot access any further info.

4)  This story, I find quite sad. George was born in Fintry on 1887.On 1911 census George is still living with his Mother and Stepfather at 7 Dalziel Street, Motherwell so life must have been fairly settled at that point. His occupation is Pony Driver at Coal Mine. Unfortunately the next information I can find is in 1917; "Presumed Killed in Action" Ref 117 AF/203 aged 31 serving with 2nd Battalion Gordon Highlanders. Such heartache caused to so many families. I have discovered that both sides of my family were deeply affected by WW1.

5) Jane Buchanan born 1889 in Cambusnethan. In 1909 Jane, noted as Jeanie, married Thomas McClung. On 1911 census Jane is living with her husband, no children, at 152 Merry Street Motherwell. Their son, Thomas William, was born in 1912. I have no further information regarding any further children of that marriage. Sadly once again WW1 caused more sadness and Thomas McClung died in September 1915 whilst at war. Jane remarried in 1920 to George Cassells and this marriage produced at least one son John. Jane died 3rd August 1947 in Motherwell. As I remarked in a previous post it really is a very small world.

What did Jane McCallum Buchanan do next, after being left aged 31 with 5 small children? To be continued.

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Thanks for that information and confirming that the dwellings would have been pretty spartan. From census reports a lot of the Buchanan family lived and worked on the estate. Sure must have been a hard life. I had a wander around the big House and the opulence therein, given the obvious surrounding poverty sticks in my mind. No wonder families decided to exchange the fresh air of Fintry for  the deepest, darkest, murkiness of industrial Lanarkshire. This story has taken me quite a few years I think I am almost there now.

[MonicaL]

What did Jane McCallum Buchanan do next, after being left aged 31 with 5 small children? To be continued.

Jane could have applied for poor relief in those five years. You could try making enquires at the North Lanarkshire Heritage Centre at https://culturenl.co.uk/museums/archives-and-local-history-museums/researching-your-family-history/

Monica

[MonicaL]

There is a death that looks interesting for you to follow up:

JEANIE CASSELLS
Age 70
Mother's maiden name BUCHANAN
1991
682/ 11
Old Cumnock

There are two other death entries with the same details and refs with the additional surnames of MCCLUNG and MILROY.

A Jeanie Cassells married a John Milroy in the Dalziel parish in 1945.

There is a birth in 1920 in Dalziel for a Jeanie Cassells.

Monica

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The next part of this saga explains what happened to Jane after the death of her husband. To be continued later.

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This part concludes the saga of Jane McCallum born 11th March 1859;

When Jane's husband, Andrew Buchanan, died 20th January 1890 Jane was left with five children however she remarried 28th July the same year. Her second husband was James Docherty aged 29, a widower, living at 7 Quarry Row, Cambusnethan. Jane's address is the same although her surname, once again, is written as McCallion. James's parents are given as John Docherty and Elizabeth Docherty, nee Brownlie. This probably why James used both surnames.

This marriage produced four children;

1)  James Brownlie born 1892
2)   Stillborn daughter born 1894
3)   Annie Brownlie born 1896
4)   Mabel Florence born 1897 but she died aged 3 years 4 months.

So this really means the only details required are for James and Annie.

James born 1892 and married twice. First wife was Janet Rintoul. A few years ago Loves Autumn was looking for information regarding this marriage. But I have no contact details for this contributor.
James second wife was Helen Reid, whose home address on James Death cert is given as Edinburgh, she was in fact  the informant. Very sadly James Brownlie died in a  Workhouse/Lunatic Asylum in Stirling on 9th September 1953. I have no information, yet, of any children he may have had or what he did  during those missing years. Perhaps that is my next challenge. Possible army connection?

Annie Brownlie born 1896 Married John Graham McRoberts in 1921 and had four children.

1) James Brownlie McRoberts born 1920. He married Eliz Higgins in 1944

2) Robert Brownlie McRoberts born 1922 and married Ellen Allan Watt in 1962

3) John Brownlie McRoberts born 1924 and married Susan Scoular in 1952

4) Mary Brownlie McRoberts born 1926 and married John Haining Tollan in 1966

One mystery arising from this thread is that there seems to be another child from this marriage; i.e. Robert Brownlie McRoberts born 1930 but died that same year. Why would that have happened when there was already another Robert who was born in 1922?

Anyway back to Jane McCallum/Buchanan/Brownlie. By 1911 she was living in Motherwell with her husband ,James Brownlie, her son George Buchanan and her daughter Annie Brownlie.
Life, I hope, at that point was settled for Jane. James Docherty Brownlie died 27th March 1928 and Jane died 9th February 1931 in Motherwell. Obviously I never met Jane but I believe she was a strong woman.

Now going to put all my bits of paper into some kind of order